This invention relates to a valve actuating mechanism for internal combustion engines and more particularly to an improved valve actuating mechanism that permits the use of plural valves for each combustion chamber of the engine.
Recently there has been a trend toward the adoption of four valve cylinder heads for high performance engines. Such engines employ two intake valves and two exhaust valves for each combustion chamber of the engine. By using a greater number of valves for a given combustion chamber configuration, it is possible to achieve larger flow areas and higher engine speeds due to the lower reciprocating mass. However, it has been thought that four valves per cylinder is the practical limit for most applications. The reason for this is that it is difficult to provide an effective actuating mechanism for more than four valves without unduly complicating the cylinder head construction, sacrificing optimum combustion chamber configuration and restricting access to the components of the engine which must be serviced, such as the spark plugs.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved valve actuating mechanism for an internal combustion engine that facilitates the use of more than four valves per chamber.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved valve actuating mechanism for an internal combustion engine that permits the use of multiple valves while still facilitating a relatively uncomplicated cylinder head construction.